The Commonwealth Games comes back to England for the first time in 20 years with Birmingham set to host the week-and-a-half long event at the end of July.
Here is all you need to know about what is going to happen in the West Midlands.
When are the Commonwealth Games?
The Commonwealth Games will commence on Thursday 28th July with the opening ceremony taking place at the Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, Birmingham. The closing ceremony will be on Tuesday 8th August at the same venue.
Where will the Commonwealth Games take place?
Track and field athletics events will take place at Alexander Stadium while there are several event locations dotted around the vicinity for various sports.
Indoor cycling will be held in London as confirmed by Birmingham Council with the Lee Valley VeloPark the venue in question. Other venues to host Commonwealth sports include Edgbaston Cricket Ground and Birmingham's Utilita Arena.
Who else submitted a bid to host the Games?
Birmingham were chosen unopposed. Durban in South Africa were planning on putting forward a bid to host but withdrew due to a lack of available finances.
Where were the last Commonwealth Games?
Australia's Gold Coast had the Games in 2018 while 2026 will see them head back Down Under to Victoria. Manchester was the last English city to host in 2002 while Glasgow were the main hosts in 2014.
Which nations will compete at the Commonwealth Games?
70 of the 72 nations in the Commonwealth Games Associations have announced they will be taking part.
Participating nations are ones who are members of the Commonwealth which is a collection of countries that were once members of the British Empire, including dependent overseas territories.
It is also a rare chance for athletes to compete for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland with the UK being broken up into its constituent countries for the purpose of the games.
What sports will be played at the Commonwealth Games?
The make up of sports is largely the same as those seen in the Olympics. Most eyes will be on the likes of athletics, cycling, and swimming, while for the first time there will be a women's cricket tournament, utilising the T20 format of the sport.
Who topped the medal table in 2018?
Hosts Australia dominated the 2018 edition, picking up 198 medals in total, including 80 golds. England came second with 45 golds from 136 medals in total while India were third. Wales were seventh, Scotland were eighth, and Northern Ireland were 20th.
Who is likely to star at the Games?
In terms of athletics, eyes will be on England's Dina Asher-Smith as she aims to improve on her bronze medal showing in the 200m in Gold Coast.
Asher-Smith went into last summer's Olympics in Tokyo with a great chance of winning the 100m and 200m but she had to pull out following the recurrence of a hamstring injury suffered earlier in the year.
However, she bounced back with a strong Diamond League showing at the end of the year with season-bests in both events.
Scotland's Laura Muir will be the one to watch for middle-distance running as she aims to win her first Commonwealth medal with Olympic silver and European Championship gold under her belt, while English swimmer Adam Peaty is looking to add to the 100m breaststroke gold he took four years, despite heading into the competition recovering from injury.
Multiple Olympic medallist Jonny Brownlee will also be competing in the mixed triathlon, while fellow English Olympic star Max Whitlock will be flying the flag in gymnastics.
Will the Commonwealth Games be televised?
Yes. The BBC will have exclusive rights to broadcast the event across the UK with BBC One, Two, Three, and the iPlayer all set to have coverage throughout.
Where can I see a full schedule of events?
The official website is birmingham2022.com and there is a full schedule linked on the homepage. The ticket page is also linked on the same website, though there are only limited numbers available.
